§ 18. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the present position of the concession of the Tiberias hot springs; and what consideration has been, or is proposed to be, given for this concession, and to whom?
§ Mr. AMERYA lease of land at Tiberias, on which hot springs are found, is being negotiated between the Palestine Government and certain gentlemen who, before the War, had received from the Ottoman authorities a concession for the exploitation of these thermal springs. It is proposed that the lease shall run for 40 years, and shall include the following conditions: The lessees will be obliged to erect and completely furnish in three 652 years the thermal bath establishment. Pending the completion of the buildings, the lessees must pay as annual rental to the Government of Palestine 60 per cent. of the gross receipts from the existing baths or £E.2,250, whichever shall be the greater. After completion of the buildings the lessees must pay an annual rent of £E.3,000, augmented by a proportion of the profits when the lessees are able to declare a dividend. Maximum rates to be charged for the baths are fixed for the first five years after completion of the buildings, and thereafter the rates are to be subject to agreement between the lessees and the High Commissioner. On the expiration of the lease, the buildings and plant become the property of the Palestine Government.